Decoding your thyroid blood tests

• TSH in context, not alone

  Thyroid-stimulating hormone is the main screening marker, but by itself it is not a diagnosis: elevated TSH with normal T4 and with low T4 are two different situations. The breakdown always looks at what surrounds your TSH.

• Free T4 and free T3

  The free fractions show how much working hormone is actually available to your tissues. We explain what their fall or rise means paired with TSH — from subclinical patterns to pronounced ones.

• Antibodies: anti-TPO and anti-TG

  Elevated thyroid peroxidase antibodies are a marker of an autoimmune process (Hashimoto's), but on their own they need no treatment. The breakdown explains what your titre means and what is actually worth monitoring.

• Combinations and scenarios

  High TSH + normal T4, normal TSH + low T4, everything normal + high antibodies — each combination points its own way. We show which scenario your report resembles and what to clarify with the doctor.

• Sex, age and pregnancy

  TSH norms differ by age, and in pregnancy — by trimester, when the standard reference ranges on the report do not apply. The breakdown accounts for the context you provide.

• Trends across several reports

  Upload previous results together with the fresh ones — the breakdown lines them up by date: how TSH behaves on therapy or under observation and what changed since last time.

The breakdown does not replace an endocrinologist: diagnosis and treatment happen only at a real consultation. The service helps you understand the panel and arrive with ready questions.

• Which thyroid tests can be decoded?
  The whole standard panel: TSH, free T4, free T3, anti-TPO and anti-TG antibodies, plus calcitonin and thyroglobulin if they are on the report. A lone TSH works too — but it is the combination that gives the full picture, and the breakdown will say plainly what the report is missing.
• Is elevated TSH necessarily hypothyroidism?
  No. TSH can rise after acute illness, under stress and sleep loss, or on certain medications; a subclinical rise with normal T4 is a separate situation that is often simply monitored. That is why the breakdown reads TSH together with T4 and antibodies and shows which scenario yours resembles — while only an endocrinologist confirms a diagnosis.
• How much does it cost?
  The same as a regular lab decoding: 390 RUB — a one-time card payment with no subscription and no recurring charges; the receipt goes to your email. The current price, including promotions, is shown in the form before you start.
• My anti-TPO antibodies are high — what does it mean?
  An elevated anti-TPO titre is a marker of autoimmune thyroiditis, but by itself it is not a disease and not a reason to treat: some people carry elevated antibodies for years with normal gland function. What matters is what TSH and T4 are doing — the breakdown explains your combination and suggests what monitoring to ask the doctor about.
• Can ChatGPT decode thyroid labs?
  Partly: a general chatbot can explain what TSH is, but it reads the panel as a set unreliably — it does not check your lab's reference ranges, mixes up units, and treats combinations like "normal TSH, low T4" superficially. A specialized breakdown recognizes the report, reads the markers together and says plainly where the data is insufficient.
• Does this replace an endocrinologist?
  No. The breakdown explains the numbers and helps you prepare for the visit — what questions to bring and which markers to add so the appointment is concrete. Diagnosis, ultrasound assessment and treatment belong to the doctor. With pronounced symptoms — palpitations, weight loss, marked weakness — do not put off an in-person visit.
• Do I need an ultrasound if the labs are normal?
  Labs and ultrasound answer different questions: blood shows the gland's function, ultrasound shows its structure (nodules, size). Normal hormones do not rule out nodules, and vice versa. If you already have an ultrasound report, it can be decoded on the imaging decoding page.